Call to say no to NI rise

Business organisations urge small firms to say no to the National Insurance rise.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has joined forces with other business and employment organisations to call on small firms to sign a petition urging the Government to freeze National Insurance.

Research by the FSB with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) found that increasing employers’ National Insurance by one per cent will cost 57,000 jobs at a time of record unemployment figures, but will not give any substantial help to plug the Government’s gap in public finances.

The FSB wants to see businesses using the petition to persuade the Government to reverse the planned one per cent rise in National Insurance and put a halt on any future rises in the foreseeable future. Raising taxes on small businesses must be a last resort if they are to do their job of helping to put the country on a steady road to recovery.

More information
The FSB is Britain’s leading business organisation with over 213,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the self-employed, and all those who run their own business.

Sign the ‘Say no to National Insurance Rise” petition

Business organisations supporting the petition are: British Chambers of Commerce, Institute of Directors, British Retail Consortium, Confederation of British Industry, The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Forum of Private Business and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

Complex tax rules Stifle small businesses

An FSB and ICM survey shows that three quarters of businesses would grow their business if the tax regime was easier to understand.

Research carried out by the FSB and ICM of over 1,600 small businesses showed that 75 per cent of small businesses believe that they would be able to grow their business if the UK tax system was simplified.

Over a third (34%) of businesses surveyed said they found income tax the most difficult issue to deal with, while 52 per cent citied taxable allowances – the amount a person is taxed on – hardest to get to grips with. Over half (52%) said VAT is the easiest type of taxation to understand.

Many businesses do not feel confident dealing with tax issues, with 66 per cent employing professional help. Half of businesses spend less than two hours per week on fulfilling their tax responsibilities, but for one in 10 it takes up more than six hours of their time.

Read the full article on the FSB website.

Post Office Manifesto

Small shops are struggling to survive because of local, regional and national government policies, together with the competition authority’s failure to deal with the aggressive policies of supermarkets. These factors have been compounded by the recession and the closure of over 100 businesses every day.

Throughout these difficult times, the Post Office has remained the hub of the local community providing essential services to
individuals and small businesses and also generating footfall for surrounding businesses. The Post Office network is essential for keeping the high street alive and for keeping trade local.

The loss of 2,500 Post Offices in the recent Network Change Programme, alongside the loss of many UK independent retailers, has far reaching socio-economic and environmental implications for the whole community.
The Keep Trade Local campaign was launched in March 2008 and has since been taken up by local communities across the UK.

View the complete Post Office Manifesto Document.

New Financial Measures

The government has introduced a new package of financial measures, as part of its Solutions for Business portfolio.

The aim is to provide real help to firms through the economic downturn. If you have short-term working capital constraints or are looking to invest to grow your business these schemes could help you. Read more

Government Food 2030 Strategy

Food 2030 is the Government’s new food strategy, the first of its kind in over 50 years.

In it the government set out their vision of what they want the food system to look like in 2030, and how it can be achieved. Read more

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